Fewer than one in 10 people that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable case, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people eat less.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return a year later of halting the drug, when their normal food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your chance for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
