Fewer than 10% of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to increase availability, through strategies like voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the drug, when their typical appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
