Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to increase availability, through strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so users eat less.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, because their usual hunger come back.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your risk for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
