Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it releases its first guidance on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to increase availability, by strategies such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, because their usual appetite return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
