WHO Issues Warning Over Acute Scarcity of Weight-Loss Jabs
Less than 10% of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial recommendations on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even under the current best projected outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to expand availability, by strategies like licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests people may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their usual appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your risk for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
