Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it releases its initial guidance on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the production of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, through approaches including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
People commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the medication, because their usual appetite come back.
Being overweight or obese raises your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
