Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the production of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to increase access, by strategies like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates users may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, when their usual hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
