Under a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to expand availability, by strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so people eat less.
People typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to users may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, as their normal hunger return.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
