Less than 10% of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to broad access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the present best projected scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to increase availability, by measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Function
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research points to people may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, as their typical hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
