Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to widen access, by measures such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to people may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, because their typical hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
