Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its first recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to widen access, through measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
People typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies points to patients may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their typical food cravings return.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your risk for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
