Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to increase access, through approaches such as licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their typical food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight raises your risk for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
