WHO Issues Concern Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections

Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.

Given over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.

According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.

"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, says the body.

Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity

Despite the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.

The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, through strategies like patent sharing.

A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.

The Way Obesity Drugs Function

The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.

Patients typically see weight reduction after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.

Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, because their typical appetite return.

Being carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain cancers.

Obesity concerns people in all nations and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.