World Health Organization Raises Warning Over Critical Shortage of Obesity Injections
Less than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through approaches like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people reduce food intake.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return after a year of halting the treatment, as their usual appetite resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
