Fewer than 10% of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen availability, by measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to users may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the medication, when their typical food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
