Fewer than 10% of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the current best projected case, the production of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, via measures including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
These medications mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
People usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return after a year of halting the medication, as their typical appetite come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for developing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
