WHO Raises Concern Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections

Under a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the drugs.

Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.

Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.

"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the organization.

GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity

Even in the current most favorable scenario, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.

The advice urges countries and companies to expand access, by approaches including voluntary licensing.

A patent on a key compound – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate

GLP-1 drugs replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.

Individuals usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.

Studies suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the drug, as their normal appetite resume.

Being overweight or obese raises your risk for contracting diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.

Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.