Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable case, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase access, through approaches such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people eat less.
People typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, because their usual food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing medical conditions, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
