Less than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its first advice on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and ongoing support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen availability, through approaches like patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Function
The injections replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their normal food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
