Under 10% of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first recommendations on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to widen availability, by measures like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the medication, when their normal appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
