Fewer than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase access, by measures including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, because their typical appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
