Less than a tenth of people that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
