World Health Organization Issues Alert Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications

Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it releases its first advice on the therapies.

Considering more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.

Based on estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.

"The new guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to broad access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the organization.

Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis

Even under the current best projected scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.

The advice urges nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by approaches including voluntary licensing.

The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate

The injections mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.

Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.

Evidence indicates patients may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, because their usual hunger resume.

To be above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.

Obesity impacts people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.