Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges 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 supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic case, the supply of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to widen access, via strategies such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, because their usual appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
