Less than 10% of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Per projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase availability, through strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to people may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the medication, because their normal appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
