Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand availability, via strategies such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Patients typically see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, as their normal hunger come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for developing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
