Fewer than one in 10 people that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen availability, through approaches including patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people eat less.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates users may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, when their normal appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
