Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial guidance on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase availability, via approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance satiety so people eat less.
Patients usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the drug, as their usual food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
