Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its first guidance on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen availability, through approaches such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their normal appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
