Under a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural advice on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to expand availability, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, when their usual food cravings come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your chance for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
