Fewer than 10% of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present best projected case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to widen access, through approaches including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
The injections imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, because their usual hunger come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
