Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to universal access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so people eat less.
People usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, when their usual appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
