Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial recommendations on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the current most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to widen access, via approaches including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
People usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research suggests users may see weight return after a year of stopping the treatment, as their usual hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
