Fewer than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it releases its initial recommendations on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to increase access, through measures such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
The injections mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their normal appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for developing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
