Fewer than a tenth of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift considerable weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand availability, via approaches including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their typical appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
