Under 10% of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present best projected case, the supply of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline urges governments and firms to expand availability, by strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, when their normal food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
