World Health Organization Issues Alert Over Critical Lack of Weight-Loss Medications
Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the therapies.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The advice encourages governments and firms to increase availability, through measures such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost satiety so individuals eat less.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the drug, when their typical hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
