Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic case, the supply of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen access, via strategies such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the treatment, because their normal food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for developing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
