Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to increase availability, via measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
The injections imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
People usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, as their typical appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
