The Global Health Body Raises Warning Over Acute Shortage of Obesity Injections

Less than one in 10 people that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.

Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.

According to forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.

"Our latest guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, notes the organization.

Skinny Jab Scarcity

Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.

The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, via strategies like voluntary licensing.

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

How Weight-Loss Injections Work

GLP-1 drugs imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.

Individuals typically see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.

Evidence suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, when their usual hunger return.

To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.

Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.