Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, when their normal appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
