Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen access, by measures like voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, when their usual hunger come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
