Less than a tenth of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present best projected outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, via strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
These medications mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, as their usual appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
