Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable weight, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present most favorable outlook, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice encourages countries and companies to widen availability, via measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests users may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
