Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected case, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to expand access, by measures such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies suggests users may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their usual hunger come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
