WHO Sounds Alert Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections
Under one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most optimistic case, the production of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by approaches including licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the drug, as their usual food cravings return.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
