Fewer than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to increase availability, by approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests users may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their usual food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese raises your risk for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
