Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to increase access, through approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so users eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, as their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
