Under a tenth of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it publishes its first recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current best projected case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand availability, via approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase satiety so people consume fewer calories.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies indicates users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the drug, when their usual hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
