World Health Organization Raises Alert Over Critical Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections
Fewer than 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key barriers to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Even in the current best projected scenario, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to increase availability, through approaches like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the medication, because their usual hunger return.
To be overweight or obese elevates your risk for contracting health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.