Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable case, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to increase access, by strategies like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
The injections mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the drug, when their normal appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
