Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to widen access, through strategies including voluntary licensing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
People typically see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the drug, as their normal food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your likelihood for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
