Fewer than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to increase availability, by measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates people may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the medication, when their usual hunger return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
