Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and lifelong support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present best projected case, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline urges governments and firms to expand availability, via measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the medication, when their usual food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
