Fewer than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic case, the production of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by measures like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users eat less.
People commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests users may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, as their normal hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
