Fewer than one in 10 people that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and lifelong care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to expand availability, through measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
People commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to people may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the medication, when their typical hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
