Under 10% of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it releases its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present best projected scenario, the production of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase access, through approaches like voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, when their normal food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
