Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand access, by strategies like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, when their typical food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
