Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to increase availability, via approaches like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, as their usual food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
