Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users eat less.
People typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests people may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their typical hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your chance for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
