Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to expand access, by strategies including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, when their usual appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
