Less than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its first guidance on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen availability, through strategies like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users eat less.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may see weight return after a year of halting the medication, as their usual hunger come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
