Under 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to widen access, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
People usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, when their normal hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
