Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it issues its initial advice on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present best projected outlook, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to expand access, through approaches like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, when their normal appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
