Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its first advice on the medications.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies including patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so users reduce food intake.
People usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, when their typical appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
