Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present best projected scenario, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen access, via approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
People typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, when their usual appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
