Fewer than a tenth of people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the present most favorable scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to expand access, via approaches like licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the treatment, because their typical food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
