Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and continuous support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand availability, via strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
The injections replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates users may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the medication, as their typical appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your chance for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
