Fewer than a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected scenario, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to expand access, through approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, because their normal appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
