WHO Raises Concern Over Acute Shortage of Obesity Medications

Less than 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the therapies.

Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.

Based on forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.

"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the agency.

Skinny Jab Shortage

Despite the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.

The advice urges nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via measures like licensing agreements.

A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.

How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate

GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so users reduce food intake.

Patients commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.

Evidence suggests patients may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the medication, as their normal food cravings return.

To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.

Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.