Less than 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key barriers to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, via strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence points to people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, as their normal appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
