Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the current most favorable case, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via measures such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
These medications mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research points to people may see weight return within a year of stopping the drug, because their typical hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
