Fewer than a tenth of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice encourages governments and firms to widen access, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
Patients commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the treatment, because their normal appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
