Less than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and continuous treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic case, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand availability, through approaches like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the drug, when their usual food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
