World Health Organization Sounds Alert Over Severe Shortage of Obesity Injections

Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.

Considering over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.

Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.

"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and lifelong support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, explains the body.

Skinny Jab Supply Crisis

Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.

The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, by strategies including voluntary licensing.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Operate

These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.

Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.

Studies indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the medication, as their normal appetite come back.

Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.

Obesity affects people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.