Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to broad access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand access, via measures like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so users consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests users may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their typical appetite come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
