Less than 10% of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen access, through approaches like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests people may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their normal appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
