Under one in 10 individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to expand access, via measures like patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals usually see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research points to users may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal appetite resume.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
