Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to widen availability, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, as their normal appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
