Less than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its first advice on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen access, through strategies like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies points to patients may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the drug, because their typical appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
