Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen availability, via strategies such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, as their normal hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
