Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, via approaches like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.
People commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the treatment, when their typical food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
