Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to expand access, by strategies like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, because their typical appetite resume.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
