Under one in 10 people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most optimistic case, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to widen access, through approaches including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Patients typically see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, because their normal food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
