Under 10% of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift considerable weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand access, via approaches like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, because their normal food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
