Fewer than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current best projected outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase availability, through approaches like licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
These medications replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the drug, when their normal hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
