Less than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable case, the production of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to increase availability, by strategies including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return within a year of halting the medication, when their usual food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
