The Global Health Body Raises Alert Over Severe Lack of Obesity Medications

Less than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.

With over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.

Based on forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.

"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, notes the body.

Skinny Jab Supply Crisis

Despite the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.

The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies like patent sharing.

A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.

The Way Obesity Injections Operate

The injections replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so users eat less.

Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.

Studies suggests patients may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the treatment, when their usual appetite come back.

Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.

Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.