Less than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its first advice on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand availability, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users eat less.
People commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, because their typical hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
