Less than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its first recommendations on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected case, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to widen access, via measures including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the medication, because their typical food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
