Fewer than a tenth of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it publishes its first advice on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key barriers to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the present best projected outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand availability, by approaches like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
People typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the treatment, when their normal hunger return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
