Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the current best projected scenario, the production of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to increase availability, by strategies like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return after a year of halting the medication, when their typical hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
