Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most favorable case, the production of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to increase access, through approaches including patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, as their typical appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
