WHO Sounds Warning Over Critical Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections

Less than 10% of people who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its initial recommendations on the drugs.

Given over a billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication.

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

"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial weight, says the organization.

Skinny Jab Shortage

Even under the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.

The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen access, by approaches such as voluntary licensing.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function

These medications mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.

Patients usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.

Research suggests patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the drug, because their normal hunger resume.

To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.

Excess weight concerns people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.