Less than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current best projected outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, via approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research points to users may see weight return a year later of halting the drug, when their typical appetite return.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
