Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it issues its initial recommendations on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to increase availability, by strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
