Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its first guidance on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and lifelong treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance satiety so users consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies indicates users may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the medication, because their typical hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
