Under 10% of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand availability, by approaches including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence indicates people may see weight return within a year of stopping the drug, because their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
