Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable case, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to expand access, through measures including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the treatment, as their usual appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
