Under 10% of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first recommendations on the drugs.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to increase access, by measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence points to people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their normal hunger come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
