Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic case, the production of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, through approaches including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, when their usual hunger come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
