Under 10% of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, via measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates users may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their normal food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
