Under 10% of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its first recommendations on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to broad access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline urges governments and firms to increase access, through strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the drug, as their typical appetite return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
