Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present best projected outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen availability, through measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
These medications mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase satiety so users eat less.
People commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, as their normal food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting medical conditions, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
