Under a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it releases its first advice on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to widen availability, through strategies like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance satiety so users reduce food intake.
People usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, because their normal appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
