World Health Organization Sounds Warning Over Severe Shortage of Weight-Loss Medications
Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand availability, by strategies such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the treatment, because their normal food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
