Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it publishes its first recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to increase availability, by measures such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase satiety so users eat less.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return a year later of stopping the drug, when their usual hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
