Less than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its initial advice on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the current most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may see weight return after a year of halting the treatment, as their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
