Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand access, through measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, as their normal hunger come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
