World Health Organization Sounds Concern Over Critical Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications

Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its initial recommendations on the therapies.

With over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.

According to projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.

"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the organization.

Skinny Jab Shortage

Despite the current best projected scenario, the production of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.

The recommendation calls on governments and firms to widen availability, by measures like patent sharing.

A patent on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Work

The injections mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.

People typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.

Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the treatment, because their usual hunger resume.

Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.

Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.