Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its first guidance on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to increase availability, through measures including voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
People typically start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, as their typical hunger resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
