Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its first advice on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen availability, via approaches like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, when their normal food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
