Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current best projected outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand access, by measures such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, because their typical food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your chance for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
