Under 10% of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen availability, through measures including voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may see weight return a year later of halting the medication, because their typical appetite return.
To be overweight or obese raises your risk for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
