Less than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase access, by measures like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Operate
These medications imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.
Individuals usually see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, because their normal appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
