Under one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase access, through measures including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their typical hunger resume.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
