Less than 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over 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 addressed with thorough and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, via approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so people eat less.
Individuals usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research points to people may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, when their normal food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
