World Health Organization Raises Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections
Less than one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.
With over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to projections, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand access, through measures such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so individuals reduce food intake.
People usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Studies points to people may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, when their typical appetite come back.
Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.