Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to widen access, via strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users eat less.
People commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence indicates patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the medication, when their typical food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
