Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
People typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the drug, because their usual hunger return.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
