Fewer than one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected case, the supply of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to widen access, by strategies including licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
People usually see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests users may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, because their normal hunger return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
