Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to expand availability, via approaches such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the medication, as their normal food cravings come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
