Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase access, by strategies including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, as their normal hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
