Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen access, through strategies including licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the medication, because their normal food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
