Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to increase access, by measures including patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, because their typical hunger return.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
