The Global Health Body Raises Concern Over Acute Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications
Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it releases its first guidance on the medications.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable weight, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable case, the production of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages countries and companies to expand access, through measures including patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research indicates patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the drug, when their usual food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
