Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to widen availability, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Individuals typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence indicates users may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their typical food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for contracting health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
