Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal access to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present best projected case, the production of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase availability, through approaches like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the drug, because their usual hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for experiencing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
