Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to widen access, by strategies such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Individuals typically see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, because their usual hunger come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
