Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its initial advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to increase availability, by measures like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, as their normal hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
