Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand availability, by measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the treatment, as their typical appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
