Less than 10% of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic case, the production of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand availability, via measures such as licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
People usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to patients may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, as their typical hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
