Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the current best projected scenario, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to widen availability, through strategies such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
These medications mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their normal food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
