Under a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the current best projected outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, through strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence points to patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, as their typical food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
