Fewer than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to broad access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, through measures such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Individuals typically see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates users may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the drug, as their normal hunger return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
