Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen access, via measures like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the treatment, when their normal hunger return.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
