Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the production of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
People typically start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies suggests users may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, when their usual food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
