Fewer than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen availability, via approaches like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests people may see weight return within a year of stopping the treatment, because their normal hunger resume.
Being above a healthy weight increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
