Under 10% of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen access, through measures like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return after a year of halting the treatment, when their usual hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
