Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present best projected case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen availability, via measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
These medications imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so people reduce food intake.
People commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates users may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their usual hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
