Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline urges governments and firms to increase access, via strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so people eat less.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the medication, as their typical hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for contracting health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
