Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key barriers to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand access, via strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their usual food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for contracting health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
