Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and lifelong treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present best projected scenario, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen access, through strategies such as licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people eat less.
People commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, because their typical hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
