Under 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its first advice on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable case, the supply of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, through strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the medication, when their usual appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
