Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, via approaches such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the treatment, as their normal hunger come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your risk for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
