Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to increase availability, via approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the medication, because their usual food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
