Less than one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, through strategies like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
The injections replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, when their typical food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for developing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
