Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present best projected outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, through approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the medication, as their typical hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
