Under a tenth of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to widen access, via strategies like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their typical appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
