Less than 10% of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
With more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to widen availability, through measures including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so users eat less.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the medication, when their usual hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
