Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it publishes its first recommendations on the therapies.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling 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 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation encourages governments and firms to widen availability, via approaches including patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so users eat less.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research suggests people may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, when their typical food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
