Under one in 10 people that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen access, via strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
These medications mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to patients may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, as their normal appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for developing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
