Fewer than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to expand access, via strategies like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
People typically see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, because their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
