Under 10% of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the current most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to increase availability, through measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so people reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, when their normal appetite return.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
