Less than 10% of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through approaches including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
These medications imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users eat less.
Patients usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates users may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
