Less than 10% of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand availability, via strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, because their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
