Under 10% of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and continuous care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable case, the production of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to widen access, by approaches including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, because their typical hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
