Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial guidance on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present best projected case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to widen access, by approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase satiety so users reduce food intake.
Individuals typically see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, when their normal appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for developing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
