WHO Raises Warning Over Acute Shortage of Obesity Injections
Less than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to universal access to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, says the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via approaches such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the medication, because their normal food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese raises your chance for experiencing health problems, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity concerns people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
