Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to expand availability, via strategies including patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, because their typical food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
