WHO Issues Alert Over Acute Lack of Weight-Loss Medications
Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its initial guidance on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the current most favorable case, the supply of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase availability, via measures including patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
These medications imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Research points to users may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the drug, as their typical food cravings resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
