Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Given over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key barriers to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to increase availability, via strategies such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research indicates users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, as their typical appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
