Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the production of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, through strategies such as licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users eat less.
People typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return after a year of halting the medication, when their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
