Less than 10% of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its initial advice on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the current best projected scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to widen access, through strategies such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the medication, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
