Less than 10% of people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand availability, through strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, when their usual food cravings return.
To be overweight or obese increases your chance for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
