World Health Organization Raises Warning Over Acute Scarcity of Obesity Injections
Fewer than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most favorable case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on governments and firms to widen access, by approaches like licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
The injections mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.
Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests people may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the treatment, as their typical food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight elevates your risk for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
