Under one in 10 patients who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the medications.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase access, by approaches like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their normal hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
