Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand access, by measures such as licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
People commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the drug, as their typical appetite return.
To be overweight or obese increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
