WHO Raises Concern Over Acute Scarcity of Obesity Injections
Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the agency.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Despite the present best projected case, the production of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, by measures like voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Function
These medications imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
People typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research indicates people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the drug, as their normal appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
