Less than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present best projected case, the production of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, by measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
The injections imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the medication, as their usual hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
