Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via strategies like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the treatment, as their normal appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
