The Global Health Body Issues Warning Over Critical Lack of Obesity Medications
Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to widen access, by measures such as licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Studies indicates patients may see weight return a year later of halting the drug, because their usual hunger return.
To be overweight or obese increases your chance for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.