Under a tenth of people that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to widen availability, through approaches including voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Work
The injections mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so users eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research points to people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the treatment, as their usual appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
