Less than a tenth of people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand availability, via measures such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
People usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their typical hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
