World Health Organization Raises Alert Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections

Less than a tenth of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its initial advice on the drugs.

With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.

Per forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the agency.

Skinny Jab Shortage

Even under the current best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.

The recommendation encourages countries and companies to expand availability, via strategies including voluntary licensing.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.

The Way Obesity Jabs Function

GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people eat less.

Patients usually start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.

Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their typical food cravings return.

Being carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.

Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.