Under a tenth of people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present best projected scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to expand access, through strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their typical hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
