Under 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the therapies.
With more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the current most optimistic scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by measures such as licensing agreements.
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
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests patients may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
