Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic case, the supply of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to expand access, via strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
People usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies suggests users may see weight return after a year of stopping the medication, when their normal food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
