The Global Health Body Raises Concern Over Acute Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications

Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its initial guidance on the medications.

Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.

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

"Our new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the organization.

GLP-1 Therapy Shortage

Despite the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the health organization.

The advice calls on countries and companies to expand availability, by measures including licensing agreements.

A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.

The Way Obesity Jabs Function

These medications replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.

Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.

Studies suggests users may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the medication, because their usual hunger come back.

Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.

Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.