Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current best projected case, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to increase access, through strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the drug, because their usual food cravings return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
