Under a tenth of people that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand availability, through measures including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, because their typical appetite return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
