Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its initial guidance on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand access, by strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so users eat less.
People typically start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence points to patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, as their normal appetite resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
