Fewer than 10% of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic case, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges countries and companies to increase access, via approaches like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
People usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to people may see weight return within a year of stopping the drug, because their normal hunger come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your chance for contracting diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
