Less than 10% of people that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its first recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to increase availability, by approaches such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their usual hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
