Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to broad access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic case, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase availability, through strategies like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the treatment, when their typical food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
