The Global Health Body Raises Warning Over Critical Scarcity of Obesity Injections
Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to widen availability, by strategies such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
These medications imitate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so people eat less.
People usually start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Research points to users may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the medication, when their normal hunger come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
