Under a tenth of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to increase availability, by approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the medication, as their typical hunger resume.
Being overweight or obese raises your risk for contracting health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
