Under a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research points to patients may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the drug, as their typical food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
