Less than a tenth of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it releases its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen access, through measures like licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
