Under 10% of people that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand access, through strategies including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, as their normal food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
