Fewer than a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most favorable case, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to widen availability, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to patients may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the medication, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
