Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand access, via strategies such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
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.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, as their typical food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your chance for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
