Fewer than 10% of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, by approaches like licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the drug, when their usual appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
