World Health Organization Raises Alert Over Severe Lack of Weight-Loss Medications

Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first recommendations on the therapies.

Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.

Based on estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.

"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the organization.

GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity

Despite the current best projected outlook, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.

The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase access, through approaches like patent sharing.

Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.

The Way Obesity Injections Operate

These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake.

Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.

Evidence suggests users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, because their typical food cravings come back.

Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.

Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.