Under a tenth of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to expand access, by approaches such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates people may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their normal appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
