Under 10% of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to increase access, via approaches such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, when their usual appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
