Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and continuous support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, via approaches including patent sharing.
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 Function
These medications mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
People commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the treatment, when their typical hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
