Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase availability, by approaches such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their typical hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
