Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand access, through strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so people eat less.
People usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to users may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, when their usual food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
