Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to widen availability, by strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the drug, as their normal food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.