Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to expand availability, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies suggests patients may see weight return after a year of halting the treatment, because their normal hunger return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
