WHO Sounds Alert Over Critical Lack of Weight-Loss Medications

Less than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the drugs.

With over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.

Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.

"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and continuous care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the body.

GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity

Despite the current most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.

The recommendation calls on governments and firms to expand availability, through measures including patent sharing.

The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.

The Way Obesity Injections Operate

GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.

Patients typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.

Evidence suggests users may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, as their typical food cravings come back.

To be carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.

Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.