Less than 10% of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and ongoing support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present best projected scenario, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, by measures including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
The injections mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal appetite resume.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
