Less than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current best projected outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase availability, via approaches including voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their typical appetite resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
