Less than 10% of people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial guidance on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, through approaches including licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so users eat less.
People typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, because their normal food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
