Fewer than one in 10 people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the present best projected case, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, via approaches like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests users may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the medication, when their normal appetite resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your risk for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
