Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current best projected case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to widen access, by approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the medication, because their typical food cravings come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
