Fewer than a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, via approaches such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
People typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, as their normal hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
