WHO Sounds Alert Over Critical Shortage of Obesity Injections
Under 10% of individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present best projected outlook, the production of such drugs could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, through strategies such as patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users eat less.
People commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the medication, when their normal appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your chance for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
