WHO Issues Alert Over Acute Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections
Less than a tenth of people that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to increase availability, via approaches like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance satiety so users reduce food intake.
Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the medication, when their typical food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
