Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural advice on the therapies.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present best projected case, the supply of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through strategies like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research points to users may see weight return after a year of stopping the medication, as their typical food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
