Under 10% of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it publishes its first guidance on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to widen access, via approaches including licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their usual food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
