Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its first advice on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the production of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to increase availability, via measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance satiety so users eat less.
People usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the drug, as their usual hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
