WHO Raises Warning Over Critical Lack of Obesity Medications
Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it issues its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
According to estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the present best projected scenario, the production of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via strategies such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, when their normal food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
