Under 10% of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase availability, via measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, when their normal food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
