Under 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, through measures including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the treatment, as their normal food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
