Less than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase access, through strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their usual hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your risk for developing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.