Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via measures like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the medication, when their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese raises your chance for contracting medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
