Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the present most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand access, through approaches including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, because their normal appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
