Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its initial guidance on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand availability, via measures such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the medication, because their usual hunger return.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
