Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to widen access, by approaches such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, when their usual food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
