Less than one in 10 patients who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen availability, through approaches like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the medication, when their typical hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
