Fewer than one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key barriers to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to widen access, through measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the medication, because their typical hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
