Under one in 10 people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present best projected outlook, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, by measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so users eat less.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, because their usual hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
