Less than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial advice on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase access, by strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, because their normal hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
