Fewer than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its initial advice on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand availability, via strategies like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients typically see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their normal food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
