Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand access, through measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the drug, as their typical appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
