Under 10% of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current best projected scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to increase access, by measures including patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
People commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research suggests users may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, when their normal hunger come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
