Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase access, by strategies like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, when their normal food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
