Under 10% of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current best projected case, the supply of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, through measures such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
These medications mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, when their typical food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
