WHO Raises Concern Over Severe Scarcity of Obesity Medications

Under a tenth of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.

Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.

Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.

"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, says the agency.

Weight-Loss Drug Shortage

Even under the current best projected case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.

The guideline urges countries and companies to widen availability, through approaches including voluntary licensing.

A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.

How Obesity Injections Operate

The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.

People usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.

Research points to patients may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, when their usual hunger return.

Being overweight or obese elevates your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.

Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.