Fewer than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its initial advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to widen access, via measures such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
These medications mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies points to patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, when their usual food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
