WHO Raises Concern Over Severe Shortage of Weight-Loss Medications

Under one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural advice on the drugs.

With more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.

Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, says the organization.

Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity

Even under the current most favorable outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.

The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, through approaches such as patent sharing.

A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function

The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.

Individuals commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.

Evidence points to patients may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the drug, because their normal appetite come back.

Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.

Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.