Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to widen access, via measures like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so users eat less.
People typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence points to users may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their usual hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
