Less than a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural advice on the medications.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present best projected scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by measures such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the medication, as their usual appetite return.
To be overweight or obese raises your risk for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.