Under 10% of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present best projected outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to increase access, by measures including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests users may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, when their normal food cravings return.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
