Under a tenth of people who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to widen access, through approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
People usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their typical appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
