WHO Sounds Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections
Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it issues its initial advice on the therapies.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to widen availability, via approaches such as voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so users reduce food intake.
Individuals usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence points to users may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their typical hunger return.
To be carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
