Less than 10% of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable case, the supply of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to widen availability, through approaches such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
The injections replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their normal hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
