Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to widen access, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
These medications imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to people may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
