Less than a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the present most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the medication, as their usual food cravings come back.
To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
