Under 10% of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current best projected outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to expand access, by approaches like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their normal appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
