Under one in 10 individuals 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 more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to increase availability, via approaches like licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the medication, as their normal food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
