Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present best projected scenario, the supply of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase access, through measures like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the medication, when their usual appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
