Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the present best projected scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to expand access, through measures including patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, when their normal food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
