Fewer than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, through measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, because their usual appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
