Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even under the current most favorable outlook, the production of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to widen availability, by strategies like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost satiety so people eat less.
People typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the treatment, because their normal food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
