Fewer than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its first guidance on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to increase availability, through strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may see weight return after a year of stopping the medication, because their typical hunger return.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
