Under one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to widen availability, through measures like voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, because their normal appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
