Less than 10% of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to expand availability, through strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research points to users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the medication, when their normal hunger return.
To be overweight or obese raises your likelihood for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
