Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to broad access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable case, the supply of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through measures like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
These medications mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so people eat less.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research indicates patients may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the medication, because their normal food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
