Under a tenth of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and continuous care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, through measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the treatment, as their usual food cravings come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
