Under a tenth of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic case, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand availability, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, when their usual food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
