WHO Issues Alert Over Severe Scarcity of Obesity Injections

Less than 10% of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the therapies.

With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.

According to projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, notes the agency.

Skinny Jab Scarcity

Despite the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.

The advice calls on governments and firms to expand access, through measures like patent sharing.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.

How Weight-Loss Drugs Function

The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so users eat less.

Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.

Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the drug, as their usual appetite resume.

To be carrying excess weight elevates your risk for developing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.

Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.