Less than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via measures such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the drug, because their usual food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
