Under one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to increase availability, through measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
The injections imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, when their normal appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your chance for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
