Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, through strategies like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates users may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, as their normal food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
