Less than 10% of people that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the present most favorable outlook, the production of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to widen access, through approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests users may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the drug, as their normal food cravings come back.
Being overweight or obese raises your chance for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
