Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic case, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase availability, via strategies such as patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase satiety so individuals eat less.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to people may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, when their normal food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
