Less than 10% of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to expand access, through measures like licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
These medications replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so users reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the medication, because their normal appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
