Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand availability, through strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, because their normal hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.