Under a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first advice on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the supply of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to expand availability, by measures like licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so people eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the treatment, as their normal appetite resume.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for experiencing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
