WHO Sounds Warning Over Critical Lack of Obesity Medications
Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand availability, by measures such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
Patients commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence indicates users may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the drug, when their normal hunger return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in every country and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
