Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current best projected case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, through approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the treatment, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
