Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to expand availability, through approaches such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users eat less.
Patients usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the medication, when their typical hunger come back.
To be overweight or obese raises your risk for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
