Less than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it releases its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice encourages countries and companies to expand availability, by approaches like licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users eat less.
People typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their normal hunger come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
