Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic case, the production of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand access, by measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
The injections replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so people eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies indicates people may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the treatment, when their usual appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
