Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to expand availability, through approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, because their usual food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
