Under a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages countries and companies to widen access, via strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the drug, as their typical hunger resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
