Under one in 10 people who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its initial recommendations on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, via strategies including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research points to users may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the medication, as their usual appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
