Less than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand access, via approaches such as patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the treatment, because their typical hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for experiencing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
