Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to expand access, through strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
People usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to users may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the medication, because their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
