World Health Organization Issues Alert Over Severe Shortage of Obesity Medications
Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the therapies.
Given more than one billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to increase access, via measures such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies suggests users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, as their usual appetite return.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
