Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable outlook, the production of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to increase access, through measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
The injections mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to users may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the drug, as their usual food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
