Under 10% of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to expand access, through approaches such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their normal appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
