Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, through measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase satiety so people reduce food intake.
People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, when their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
