Under 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current best projected scenario, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to expand access, via strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.
People typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, as their typical appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.