Under 10% of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
People typically see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies suggests patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their normal appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
