Fewer than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to expand availability, through strategies such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so users eat less.
People usually see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence indicates users may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the drug, because their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for contracting health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
