Under one in 10 people that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand access, through approaches like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests users may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the drug, as their normal food cravings return.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for experiencing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
