Less than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the medications.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable case, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand access, via approaches including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Individuals usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, because their typical appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
