Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable case, the production of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to expand availability, through measures including voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the medication, because their normal food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight increases your risk for contracting diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
