Under 10% of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand access, by approaches like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the drug, as their usual hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
