The Global Health Body Sounds Concern Over Critical Scarcity of Obesity Injections
Less than one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it publishes its first guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, via strategies such as voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
The injections imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so users eat less.
People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Research indicates people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the drug, because their normal hunger return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
