Less than a tenth of people that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it issues its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges governments and firms to increase access, through measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, when their normal food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for experiencing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
