Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current best projected case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand access, through strategies such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase satiety so users eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies points to patients may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the medication, when their typical appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
