Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current best projected case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by measures like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence indicates users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the medication, as their typical hunger return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
