Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to universal access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by measures like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence points to patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, as their typical hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your chance for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
