Less than a tenth of patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to expand access, by measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their usual appetite resume.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
