Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift substantial weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the present most favorable scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges governments and firms to expand availability, by measures like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their typical hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
