Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, via strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies points to users may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, as their typical food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for experiencing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
