Less than 10% of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present best projected outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to expand access, by measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to users may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the medication, as their typical hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
