Fewer than one in 10 people who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial advice on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present best projected outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to widen access, by strategies including licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so users eat less.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the medication, when their usual hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
