Fewer than a tenth of people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present best projected case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to expand availability, via strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
These medications replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so people eat less.
People commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the medication, because their normal hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
