WHO Issues Warning Over Acute Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections
Fewer than 10% of people who could benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant obstacles to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present best projected case, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to expand availability, through approaches including licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Research indicates people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the drug, because their usual hunger return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
