Less than a tenth of people that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to universal access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable case, the production of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via approaches like voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the medication, because their typical appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
