Fewer than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by measures such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return after a year of stopping the medication, as their typical hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
