Less than a tenth of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its first guidance on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic case, the production of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to increase access, by approaches including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
People commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence points to patients may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their normal food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
