Under 10% of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic case, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, by strategies including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies points to people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical hunger come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
