Under a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its first advice on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the production of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase availability, through approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence indicates users may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their typical appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
