Under a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase availability, through measures including patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, because their usual food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
