Fewer than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the therapies.
With more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present best projected case, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen availability, via strategies such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates users may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, as their usual hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects people in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
