Under 10% of people who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase availability, through measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, when their usual hunger come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
