Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the current best projected case, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
People usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the treatment, when their typical food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese increases your chance for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
