Fewer than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic case, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to increase availability, via strategies such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
The injections imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese raises your risk for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.