Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift considerable weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to expand access, through measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates users may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the medication, because their typical appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
