The Global Health Body Sounds Alert Over Critical Lack of Obesity Medications

Fewer than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the therapies.

Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.

Per estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.

"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the body.

GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis

Even under the current best projected outlook, the supply of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.

The guideline calls on countries and companies to expand availability, through strategies including licensing agreements.

The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.

How Obesity Injections Function

GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase satiety so users eat less.

Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.

Evidence indicates patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, when their typical food cravings return.

Being overweight or obese increases your chance for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.

Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.