Less than 10% of people who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to increase availability, by measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase satiety so users reduce food intake.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, as their normal food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
