Fewer than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, through approaches including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Patients typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, because their normal food cravings come back.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
