Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen access, through approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal hunger come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
