Less than 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to patients may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their usual appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
