Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its first recommendations on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to expand availability, via strategies including voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to users may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, when their normal appetite come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
