Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current most favorable outlook, the supply of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
People commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the medication, as their normal hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
