Fewer than 10% of people that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current best projected case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to increase access, via approaches such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase satiety so users eat less.
Patients typically see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the drug, because their typical food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
