Fewer than a tenth of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most favorable case, the supply of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand availability, by measures like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal hunger return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
