Under a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to broad access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen availability, via strategies like patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, as their typical food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
