Less than a tenth of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the medications.
With over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, says the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, through strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
These medications mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people eat less.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the medication, because their typical food cravings return.
To be overweight or obese raises your risk for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
