Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its first advice on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to expand access, by strategies including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests people may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, as their typical food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
