Under 10% of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand access, via strategies including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
People typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests users may see weight return after a year of halting the medication, as their usual appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
