Less than one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, through approaches including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so people eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
