Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and ongoing support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen access, through measures like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests patients may see weight return after a year of halting the medication, when their usual appetite return.
To be overweight or obese increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
