Less than 10% of people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, through strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their normal hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
