Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to increase access, via approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their usual appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
