Under 10% of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to expand access, through strategies like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return within a year of stopping the treatment, because their usual food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
