Less than 10% of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its first recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and continuous support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present best projected scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to expand access, via strategies including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
The injections mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the drug, as their usual hunger come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
