Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, by approaches including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so users reduce food intake.
People usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the drug, because their normal appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
