Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and continuous support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to widen access, via strategies like licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, as their typical appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
