WHO Issues Concern Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications
Less than 10% of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to widespread access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even under the current most optimistic case, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by measures like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people consume fewer calories.
Patients typically see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates users may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal appetite come back.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.