Under a tenth of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present best projected outlook, the production of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, by strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so people consume fewer calories.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the medication, because their normal food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
