Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to widen access, by approaches including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the medication, because their typical hunger come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
