Fewer than one in 10 people who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable case, the production of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, by strategies like licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the medication, because their normal appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
