Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first guidance on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present best projected scenario, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to expand availability, by approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their usual food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
