Under a tenth of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first advice on the therapies.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current best projected scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to increase availability, via strategies like licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the drug, as their normal food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
