Under a tenth of people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to increase access, through strategies including patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the medication, because their usual hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
