Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected case, the supply of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to widen availability, by approaches like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to users may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, as their typical hunger come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your risk for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
