Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key barriers to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected scenario, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen access, via strategies such as licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase satiety so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, when their normal appetite return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
