Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to expand access, through approaches like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Individuals typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, because their normal appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
