Fewer than one in 10 people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, through approaches including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Patients typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the treatment, when their usual appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
