Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the medication, as their normal hunger come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for developing health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
