Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the production of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so people eat less.
People usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their typical hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
