Fewer than one in 10 people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
People usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to users may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the medication, as their usual food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
