Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its initial advice on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to widen availability, via approaches like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase satiety so users eat less.
Individuals usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, because their typical hunger come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
