Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its initial advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current best projected case, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to increase availability, through measures such as licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Operate
These medications replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
People typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the treatment, when their normal hunger resume.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
