Under a tenth of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it publishes its first advice on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the current best projected outlook, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase availability, via approaches including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence points to patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, as their usual appetite return.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
