Less than a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its initial guidance on the therapies.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present best projected case, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the drug, because their usual hunger resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
