Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it publishes its initial guidance on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to broad access to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
People typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, as their usual hunger resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
