Under one in 10 patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research suggests patients may see weight return after a year of stopping the medication, when their usual hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
