Under a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the current most optimistic outlook, the production of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to widen availability, via approaches including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, as their normal appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
