World Health Organization Raises Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections
Less than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the current most optimistic case, the supply of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies such as patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Jabs Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Individuals typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the treatment, as their typical hunger resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts people in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
