Under a tenth of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to widen access, via measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
People commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, as their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
