Under 10% of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to widen availability, by measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, as their usual hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
