Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it releases its first guidance on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key barriers to broad access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to increase access, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their usual appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
