Under one in 10 people who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it publishes its first recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, through strategies including voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
The injections replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, when their usual hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
