Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their typical appetite return.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
