Less than one in 10 patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its first guidance on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase access, via approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase satiety so users eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, when their normal appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
