Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic case, the production of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, by approaches like voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests users may see weight return a year later of halting the drug, as their typical appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
