Under 10% of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current best projected scenario, the production of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to expand access, through measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Individuals usually see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies points to patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the treatment, because their typical food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
