Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost satiety so users eat less.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, when their normal appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
