Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand access, by approaches like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the medication, because their typical hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
