Less than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to widespread access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the current best projected scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to widen availability, via measures like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so users eat less.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies points to users may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their usual food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
