Fewer than a tenth of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the production of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to expand access, by strategies including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost satiety so people reduce food intake.
Individuals usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests people may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the medication, as their usual hunger return.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
