Less than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand availability, through measures such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies points to users may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the treatment, when their usual appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
