Under one in 10 individuals 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 drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present best projected case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to widen availability, through measures like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, as their typical appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
