Less than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it publishes its initial advice on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and ongoing treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current best projected outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
People commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests patients may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, as their normal food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
