Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present best projected case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand access, via measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies suggests people may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their normal hunger return.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
