Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its initial advice on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
The injections mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests people may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical hunger come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
