Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its initial advice on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
People usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence indicates people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their usual hunger come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
