World Health Organization Raises Concern Over Acute Shortage of Obesity Injections

Under a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.

Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.

According to estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.

"Our new guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and continuous treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial body mass, notes the organization.

GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis

Despite the current best projected scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.

The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via measures such as licensing agreements.

A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work

These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.

People usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.

Studies suggests users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their typical hunger come back.

Being carrying excess weight increases your chance for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.

Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.