Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its first advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the treatment, as their usual hunger return.
Being overweight or obese increases your chance for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
