WHO Raises Warning Over Acute Shortage of Obesity Medications

Less than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the therapies.

Considering more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.

According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.

"Our new guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the agency.

GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity

Even in the current most favorable outlook, the production of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.

The advice encourages countries and companies to increase availability, via measures including patent sharing.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.

How Obesity Injections Operate

The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake.

People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.

Evidence suggests users may see weight return after a year of halting the treatment, when their typical hunger resume.

Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.

Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.