Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present best projected case, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand availability, through measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests people may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, when their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese raises your chance for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
