Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most favorable case, the production of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, through strategies like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests users may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
