Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research suggests users may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, when their typical hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
