World Health Organization Issues Concern Over Severe Shortage of Weight-Loss Medications

Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural guidance on the medications.

With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.

Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.

"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the organization.

Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis

Despite the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.

The advice calls on governments and firms to increase availability, through strategies including patent sharing.

A patent on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.

How Weight-Loss Drugs Function

The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.

People commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.

Studies points to people may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, because their usual hunger return.

Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.

Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.