Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the present best projected case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to widen availability, through strategies such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
The injections imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.
Individuals usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies indicates users may see weight return a year later of stopping the medication, as their normal food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese raises your risk for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
