Under a tenth of people who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase access, by strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their normal food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for developing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
