Fewer than a tenth of patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase access, via measures such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
People typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests users may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the treatment, because their usual hunger return.
To be overweight or obese elevates your chance for contracting medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
