Fewer than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial guidance on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand availability, through approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
