Fewer than 10% of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and ongoing care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current best projected case, the production of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies including patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Function
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates users may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the medication, because their usual hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
