Less than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand access, by strategies like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
People usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, when their normal appetite resume.
To be overweight or obese raises your risk for contracting health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
