Fewer than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and continuous care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand access, by strategies like voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
People typically see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return a year later of halting the drug, when their typical food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
