Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, via strategies including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research points to people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, as their usual food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese raises your chance for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
