Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial guidance on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies points to patients may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their typical food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
