Under a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Per projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen availability, via approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so users consume fewer calories.
People usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests users may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, when their usual appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
