Under 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to increase availability, through measures including voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
These medications replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase satiety so users reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, when their usual appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
