Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand access, through measures like licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the medication, because their usual appetite come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
