Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to widen availability, via approaches such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence points to patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, as their normal food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
