Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and ongoing treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, by measures including patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, when their typical hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
