WHO Raises Alert Over Severe Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections

Fewer than one in 10 people that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.

Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.

According to projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.

"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and continuous care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to broad access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the agency.

GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity

Even in the present most favorable outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.

The advice urges countries and companies to increase access, via strategies like licensing agreements.

Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.

How Obesity Injections Work

The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.

Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the regular doses.

Evidence points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, when their usual food cravings return.

To be carrying excess weight raises your chance for contracting medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.

Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.