Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to increase access, via strategies such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
People typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests patients may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, because their normal hunger return.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
