Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, via strategies including voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the medication, as their typical food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
