Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it publishes its first recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to expand availability, via approaches like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their normal appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your risk for contracting diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
