Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current best projected outlook, the production of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through approaches such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, when their normal appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
