WHO Sounds Concern Over Severe Shortage of Weight-Loss Medications

Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.

Considering over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.

Based on projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.

"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the agency.

GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis

Despite the current most favorable scenario, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.

The advice encourages governments and firms to increase access, via approaches including patent sharing.

Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.

How Obesity Injections Function

GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.

Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.

Research suggests people may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their usual food cravings resume.

Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.

Excess weight impacts people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.