Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial guidance on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to increase availability, by measures like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the drug, as their typical hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
