Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to expand access, via strategies like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Patients usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the drug, as their usual hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
