Less than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to increase access, via approaches like licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users eat less.
Individuals usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates people may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, when their typical hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
