Less than a tenth of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current best projected case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the medication, because their normal appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
