Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to increase access, via strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
These medications imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, when their typical hunger come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
