Less than 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to expand access, by approaches including patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies indicates people may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, when their normal food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
