WHO Sounds Warning Over Acute Scarcity of Obesity Medications

Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.

With over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.

Based on estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 without intervention.

"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the agency.

GLP-1 Therapy Shortage

Despite the current most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.

The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via approaches including patent sharing.

Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.

How Obesity Drugs Operate

GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.

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

Evidence indicates users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the treatment, because their usual hunger come back.

Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.

Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.