Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first guidance on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to widen availability, via measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research points to patients may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, because their usual hunger come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
