Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it releases its first recommendations on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
People usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, as their usual appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
