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

Fewer than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the medications.

Given over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.

Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.

"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, says the body.

GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity

Even under the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.

The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand availability, by measures like licensing agreements.

The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.

How Obesity Jabs Operate

The injections replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so people reduce food intake.

Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.

Studies points to users may see weight return within a year of halting the treatment, because their usual food cravings return.

To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.

Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.