The Global Health Body Issues Warning Over Severe Lack of Obesity Medications
Less than 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.
Given over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the present most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline calls on countries and companies to expand access, by strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
These medications mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research indicates users may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the treatment, as their normal appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
