Less than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
People commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the drug, when their typical food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
