Under a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen access, through approaches like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests users may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their usual food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
