Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase access, via strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the medication, as their typical appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
