Under 10% of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
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 recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand access, by approaches including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
People commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the medication, when their usual food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
