Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said its chief 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, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase access, via strategies like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
People commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the drug, because their usual appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
