Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the therapies.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen availability, through measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
Individuals typically see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return after a year of halting the treatment, as their typical food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
