Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable case, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, via strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to users may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, when their normal food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
