Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected case, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, by approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
These medications replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
People usually see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may see weight return after a year of stopping the medication, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
