Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first guidance on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present best projected outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen access, through approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the treatment, because their typical appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
