Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via approaches like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, because their normal hunger come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
