WHO Sounds Alert Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications

Less than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its first guidance on the drugs.

With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.

According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.

"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the agency.

Weight-Loss Drug Shortage

Despite the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.

The advice urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, through strategies including licensing agreements.

A patent on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work

These medications imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.

Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.

Studies suggests users may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, as their typical hunger resume.

To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for developing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.

Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.