The Global Health Body Issues Warning Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections

Fewer than a tenth of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy can access them, caution the WHO as it issues its first advice on the therapies.

With over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.

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

"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the agency.

Skinny Jab Supply Crisis

Despite the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.

The guideline encourages governments and firms to increase access, by measures such as patent sharing.

A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.

The Way Obesity Drugs Function

These medications mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.

People typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.

Studies indicates people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the treatment, as their typical appetite come back.

To be carrying excess weight increases your risk for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.

Obesity affects people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.