The Global Health Body Issues Alert Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications
Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by approaches including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
People typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, when their usual food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
