Fewer than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to increase access, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the medication, when their normal food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for developing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
