Less than 10% of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and ongoing treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present best projected scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by approaches including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, because their usual food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
