World Health Organization Raises Concern Over Acute Lack of Weight-Loss Medications
Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected scenario, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to expand access, through strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
The injections replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, as their normal appetite come back.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for contracting health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
