Fewer than a tenth of people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to widen access, via strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the medication, as their usual food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
