Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present best projected scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase availability, by approaches such as licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost satiety so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the drug, because their usual food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
