WHO Raises Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications
Fewer than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via measures like patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
The injections replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence indicates users may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, when their normal appetite return.
Being overweight or obese increases your risk for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects people in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
