Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase access, by measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
The injections imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, as their typical appetite return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
