Fewer than a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen availability, via approaches like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, when their normal hunger return.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
