Less than one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to widen access, via measures like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, because their typical appetite return.
To be overweight or obese raises your risk for developing health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
