Under 10% of people that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand access, through strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the medication, when their normal food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
