Fewer than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand access, through approaches including patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, when their normal hunger return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
