Less than 10% of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first recommendations on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to expand access, via measures like patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, because their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for experiencing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
