🔗 Share this article The Global Health Body Sounds Alert Over Critical Scarcity of Weight-Loss Medications Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural advice on the medications. With more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs. According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken. "Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and ongoing care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the body. Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity Even under the current best projected case, the supply of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization. The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via strategies including patent sharing. The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026. The Way Obesity Drugs Function GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance satiety so individuals consume fewer calories. Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections. Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the drug, because their usual appetite return. Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies. Excess weight concerns people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural advice on the medications. With more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs. According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken. "Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and ongoing care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the body. Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity Even under the current best projected case, the supply of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization. The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via strategies including patent sharing. The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026. The Way Obesity Drugs Function GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance satiety so individuals consume fewer calories. Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections. Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the drug, because their usual appetite return. Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies. Excess weight concerns people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.