Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and ongoing care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to broad availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to increase access, through approaches such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
