Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current best projected case, the supply of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to expand availability, through strategies including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
People typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to users may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, as their normal appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
