World Health Organization Raises Warning Over Severe Shortage of Weight-Loss Medications
Fewer than one in 10 people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable case, the production of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, through strategies such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies suggests patients may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their normal appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
