Under 10% of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the medication, as their usual food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
