Fewer than 10% of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, when their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
