Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen availability, by measures like patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
People typically see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
