Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present best projected outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand availability, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people eat less.
People commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests users may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, because their normal food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese raises your risk for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
