WHO Sounds Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications
Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to increase access, via approaches including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, when their usual food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
