Fewer than a tenth of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via strategies including voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies points to patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
