Less than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to broad availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to expand access, through measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the medication, because their typical hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
