Under 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to increase availability, through approaches such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, as their normal hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
