Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand availability, via approaches such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, as their normal appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
