Less than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the current most favorable case, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to increase availability, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
The injections mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase satiety so people eat less.
People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the drug, because their usual food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
