Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected scenario, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to expand access, by strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
People commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may see weight return after a year of stopping the medication, because their typical hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
