Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic case, the production of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by approaches such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, as their normal appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
