Less than a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the current best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, by approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the treatment, when their normal appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
