WHO Sounds Warning Over Critical Lack of Weight-Loss Medications

Less than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs.

With more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just availability to this class of drugs.

According to estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, explains the agency.

GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity

Even under the current most favorable scenario, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.

The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures such as voluntary licensing.

Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.

How Obesity Drugs Operate

These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.

Patients typically begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.

Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the medication, as their normal hunger resume.

To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.

Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.