Under one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to expand access, by measures like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people reduce food intake.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, because their typical appetite return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
