Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and continuous support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to widen availability, by strategies like licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests patients may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, as their typical food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
