Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via measures like patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests patients may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, when their normal hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
