Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable case, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to widen access, via strategies including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, as their normal food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
