Fewer than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present best projected case, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to expand availability, through strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests patients may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, when their normal appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
