Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to widen availability, by measures like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies indicates users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, as their usual appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
