Fewer than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first guidance on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen access, through strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
These medications replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, because their normal appetite come back.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
