WHO Sounds Warning Over Severe Shortage of Obesity Medications

Under one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural advice on the medications.

With over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.

Based on estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.

"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to widespread availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the body.

Skinny Jab Shortage

Even in the present best projected outlook, the production of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.

The guideline calls on countries and companies to increase access, through approaches like licensing agreements.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function

The injections mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.

Patients typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.

Research indicates patients may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, as their usual appetite come back.

To be carrying excess weight raises your risk for developing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.

Obesity impacts people in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.