Less than 10% of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
With more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present best projected outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand availability, by approaches including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
These medications replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to users may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, because their typical appetite return.
To be overweight or obese elevates your chance for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
