Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its initial recommendations on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the current most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to expand availability, by measures such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Research points to patients may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their usual food cravings return.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
