Fewer than 10% of people that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the therapies.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to widen access, through strategies such as licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
People typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may see weight return within a year of stopping the treatment, when their usual hunger resume.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your risk for developing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
