Under a tenth of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it publishes its initial guidance on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable outlook, the supply of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, via measures such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates patients may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the medication, because their usual hunger return.
Being overweight or obese raises your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
