Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its initial advice on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, through approaches like licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so people eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research suggests patients may see weight return within a year of stopping the treatment, when their normal appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
