Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its first guidance on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to expand access, by measures including voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the drug, because their typical food cravings come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
