Less than one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to widen access, via strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the medication, because their normal hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
