Under a tenth of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to increase access, by measures such as licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests users may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the treatment, as their usual appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
