Less than a tenth of people who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it publishes its initial guidance on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, via strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
People typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the medication, when their normal appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese elevates your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
