Less than 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
These medications imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so people eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the drug, because their normal appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
