WHO Raises Alert Over Critical Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications

Under 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its initial recommendations on the therapies.

Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.

Per estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to universal access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the agency.

Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity

Despite the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.

The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by strategies including patent sharing.

A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.

How Weight-Loss Injections Work

The injections replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.

Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.

Studies suggests users may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, when their usual food cravings resume.

To be overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.

Obesity affects individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.