Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and continuous care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to increase access, via measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, when their typical food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
