Under 10% of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per projections, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to expand access, by strategies including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the medication, when their normal appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
