Less than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most favorable outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase availability, through approaches such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the treatment, as their usual food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
