Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable case, the supply of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to widen access, via strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests people may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their usual hunger come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
