Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it publishes its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research indicates people may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their normal hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
