Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the current most favorable outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen availability, by measures like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates people may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the drug, as their usual appetite resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
