World Health Organization Raises Alert Over Critical Lack of Weight-Loss Injections
Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Per projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to universal access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, says the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through measures such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.
Individuals typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the treatment, because their typical hunger resume.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
