World Health Organization Sounds Alert Over Critical Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections

Under one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the drugs.

Given over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.

According to estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.

"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, says the body.

Weight-Loss Drug Shortage

Despite the present best projected case, the supply of these medications might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.

The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, through approaches such as voluntary licensing.

A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate

These medications imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.

Patients usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.

Evidence points to people may regain a significant portion within a year of halting the treatment, as their usual food cravings resume.

To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.

Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.