Less than one in 10 people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial advice on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current best projected case, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to increase access, by strategies including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so users reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their normal appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
