Less than one in 10 patients who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return after a year of halting the medication, because their usual food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for contracting health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
