Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the present best projected outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, through measures including patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients usually see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, because their usual appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
