Under 10% of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand availability, through strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.
Individuals typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence suggests patients may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, when their usual appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
