Less than 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the present best projected case, the production of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen access, through strategies like voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the treatment, when their normal appetite return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
