Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current best projected scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to widen access, through strategies like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
The injections imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, as their usual hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for developing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
