Under one in 10 individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current best projected case, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, via strategies like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so users eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates users may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, as their normal hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
