Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the current best projected scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to increase access, via measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the treatment, because their normal hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
