Less than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it releases its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand availability, via approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, because their normal appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
