Under one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to widen access, by measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
People typically begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the treatment, because their normal food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
