Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread access to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the production of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen access, by approaches such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
People commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to people may see weight return after a year of halting the treatment, because their normal hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
