Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its first guidance on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via approaches such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
People typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their usual appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for contracting health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
