Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its first guidance on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present best projected case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via strategies like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the drug, as their typical hunger come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
