Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over 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 thorough and ongoing treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures including patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the treatment, when their normal food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
