Fewer than 10% of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, by measures like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research suggests patients may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, because their normal hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for contracting health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
