WHO Issues Alert Over Severe Lack of Weight-Loss Injections

Fewer than a tenth of patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the medications.

Considering over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.

Per forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.

"The latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, says the organization.

Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity

Even in the present most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.

The recommendation urges countries and companies to widen access, by strategies like voluntary licensing.

The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.

The Way Obesity Injections Function

These medications replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.

Patients commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.

Evidence indicates patients may see weight return a year later of stopping the treatment, because their typical food cravings resume.

Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for experiencing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.

Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.