Less than 10% of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by approaches such as licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, as their typical appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
