Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen availability, via approaches including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their normal food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
