Under one in 10 individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first guidance on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to widen access, by measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase satiety so people eat less.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, when their typical food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
