Under a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to expand availability, through measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies indicates people may see weight return within a year of stopping the drug, because their typical hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
