Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to expand access, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, as their normal food cravings resume.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
