Fewer than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen access, via approaches including voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
People typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates users may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the treatment, because their normal food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
