Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, by strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, when their normal food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
