Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand availability, through approaches such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, because their typical appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your chance for experiencing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
