Under a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and ongoing support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable case, the production of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase access, by measures such as licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, because their normal food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
