Less than 10% of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected case, the production of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to increase access, via strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, when their typical appetite come back.
Being overweight or obese raises your risk for contracting health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
