Less than a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, through strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the treatment, because their typical food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
