WHO Issues Alert Over Acute Shortage of Obesity Injections

Under one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its first recommendations on the drugs.

Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.

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

"The new guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, says the body.

Skinny Jab Supply Crisis

Even under the current most favorable case, the production of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.

The guideline calls on nations and manufacturers to increase access, through approaches such as patent sharing.

A patent on a key compound – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Injections Work

The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals eat less.

People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.

Evidence indicates users may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, when their normal hunger come back.

To be carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.

Obesity concerns people in all nations and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.