Fewer than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial guidance on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the organization.
Despite the current best projected outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to increase access, through approaches such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
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