Under 10% of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
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 health organization.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, via measures like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people eat less.
People usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, because their normal food cravings come back.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
