Fewer than a tenth of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the therapies.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic case, the production of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase availability, through strategies including licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, when their normal food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
