Less than 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most favorable case, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase access, by strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, because their typical appetite return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for developing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
