Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its first guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, 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 lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, by approaches such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical food cravings come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
