World Health Organization Issues Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications

Less than a tenth of people who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.

Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.

Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.

"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, notes the agency.

GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity

Despite the present best projected case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.

The recommendation urges governments and firms to increase availability, via measures such as licensing agreements.

The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.

How Obesity Drugs Work

The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.

Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.

Evidence indicates users may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their usual appetite resume.

Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.

Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.