Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to expand access, via strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, as their normal appetite resume.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
