Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages countries and companies to widen availability, through strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies points to patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, as their usual appetite return.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
