Less than a tenth of people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its first advice on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by strategies such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the medication, when their usual food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
